Recently diagnosed

[Marti]

One of cats was recently diagnosed with diabetes. My problem is trying to fix multiple problems with a very grumpy stubborn cat. I thought I was feeding him "good" food. Apparently not, it is high carb dry(he wouldn't touch wet except to try and cover it up with the rug) and free fed. I started to try to transition to timed and new food plus injections but it is just too much for him. Most days it's a struggle to get him to eat so I can give him shots. For reference I started adding evo dry to his diet hoping to eventually go to wet. Another problem is the evo caused both my cats to have constipation so I've had to switch back to Hills. Should I try these changes one at a time and if so how and in what order? Any food advice? We're both at our wits end. Any advice on how to best help him would be appreciated.

 

[BJM]

Welcome to FDMB, Marti.

It can take some persistence to convert a cat to wet food. Start with what you've got (the dry), so you can get the insulin going and stabilized. plus get going with home testing to keep your cat safe. Transitioning food 20-25% per day can work, but as you noted, sudden changes can provoke GI upsets. Cat Info has a ton of tips on transitioning, too.

I leave food down for grazing all day. The insulin Gracie gets works over 12 hours, so allowing her to graze over 12 hours makes sense.

What insulin are you using? The ones which last roughly 12 hours in the cat are Levemir, ProZinc, Lantus, and BCP PZI.

For home testing, You need an inexpensive human glucometer, such as the WalMart ReliOn Confirm or Target Up and Up, matching test strips, and alternate site testing lancets (they make slightly bigger pricks), plus Neosporin Ointment with Pain Relief to reduce the annoyance of testing.

 

[Marti]

Welcome to FDMB, Marti.

It can take some persistence to convert a cat to wet food. Start with what you've got (the dry), so you can get the insulin going and stabilized. plus get going with home testing to keep your cat safe. Transitioning food 20-25% per day can work, but as you noted, sudden changes can provoke GI upsets. Cat Info has a ton of tips on transitioning, too.

I leave food down for grazing all day. The insulin Gracie gets works over 12 hours, so allowing her to graze over 12 hours makes sense.

What insulin are you using? The ones which last roughly 12 hours in the cat are Levemir, ProZinc, Lantus, and BCP PZI.

For home testing, You need an inexpensive human glucometer, such as the WalMart ReliOn Confirm or Target Up and Up, matching test strips, and alternate site testing lancets (they make slightly bigger pricks), plus Neosporin Ointment with Pain Relief to reduce the annoyance of testing.

The insulin I'm using is Vetsulin. It has a 12 hour duration. The vet said he has to eat prior to the shot and I haven't even figured out how to get him on a feeding schedule so I can give him his shots on time. I tried taking up the food for 12 hours then giving it to him right before the shot but he will only eat a tiny amount and then walk away. I'm afraid he is not eating enough and will end up hypoglycemic. He is a very temperamental cat and is easily agitated. I have been trying to make this scheduled feeding work but I'm a nervous wreck. I think I tried too many changes to fast for him and maybe me too. Sorry for the rambling. Any help is very appreciated.

 

[BJM]

As the insulin takes effect and drops the glucose, this will trigger additional hunger.
Unless your dose is too high, he should be OK, especially if you leave the food down.

And in cats, Vetsulin often wimps out at around 10 hours post shot. Home testing will show if this happens.
Its other name is Caninsulin and it was designed for dogs, which have a slower metabolism.

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

One trick that helped to convert my dry food adicts was to put dry food on top of the bowl of canned food. I found that they would eat a few bites of the canned. Gradually as they started eating more canned, I would mix the dry with the canned, slowly reducing the dry food amount until it was all canned food. It took several weeks, but now all of mine eat only canned food. Sometimes it also helps to sprinkle parmesean cheese on top of the canned food. I am not sure what attracts cat to it, but mine love it.